The Switch
by hiei-hellfireangel
Summary: Poor Inu is jealous of Shippou. Then an unexpected event changes everything. Title says it all! :D Rated PG13 for language.
1. Prologue: Be Careful What You Wish For

Hiei_hellfireangel: Wowee! It's been so long since I wrote a fanfics. About a year and a half I suppose? Bah! Who'd care?! :D Anyways, this is another product of my ever-weird n' crazy imagination and is my first Inuyasha fic. Hope you'll like it! Read and review but no flaming, ok? Luv ya peepz! XD  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Period.  
  
"word" = dialogue 'word' = thoughts  
  
~*~  
  
The Switch By hiei_hellfireangel  
  
Prologue Be Careful What You Wish For.  
  
"Feh!" snorted Inuyasha as he caught sight of the baby kitsune. Shippou was bouncing happily, trying to catch the butterflies that were usually seen flying across the village. 'The kid probably wants to catch one to impress Kagome,' the hanyou thought. Inuyasha gave another snort, more audible this time, as his thoughts were verified when Shippou bounded towards Kaede's hut, clutching something in his tiny paws.  
  
Kagome was sitting outside the hut, helping the old miko with drying some medicinal herbs. The young girl was getting pretty bored sorting out the plants. Hearing the young kitsune's voice calling her name, she mentally cried "Yay!" and uttered a small apology to Kaede. Wiping her hands on her skirt, she stood then walked in the direction of Shippou.  
  
"Kagome, Kagome! Look what I caught!" exclaimed the boy.  
  
Smiling, Kagome squatted to his height and peered at the supposed 'thing' inside his paws. "What is it, Shippou?"  
  
Grinning toothily, Shippou opened his paws slightly, just enough so that the girl could see what he was holding. Kagome leaned a bit more and cried "oh" as she saw the delicate creature inside. It was a small yellowish- white butterfly. "How pretty."  
  
"I'm glad you like it, Kago-AHHHH!!!"  
  
Inuyasha, who was watching them from a tree, suddenly jumped down in front of Shippou and bonked him on the head. The kit hit facedown on the ground, muttering a muffled "I hate you!" and "My butterfly!" in between sobs. He then turned to Kagome and raised a brow at her, pouting slightly. The hanyou had gotten annoyed by the fox's folly and Kagome's usual pretending- that-she-likes-it-so-the-kit-becomes-happy.  
  
A vein near the corner of Kagome's eye started to twitch violently, evidence of her rising temper. She mimicked Inuyasha, raising a brow and pouting a bit while tapping her foot. 'He better have a good explanation for this!'  
  
"What was that for, Inuyasha?!"  
  
"Feh! The kid's acting stupid again." That was not the answer Kagome was looking for.  
  
"SIT!"  
  
Face met dirt for the nth time. Mumbling curses, Inuyasha tried to get up from the spell, but it was in vain. Hardly had he raise an inch, he was pulled back down like a metal pin to a magnet. He was expecting a "sorry" from Kagome, but got an angry stomp on the ground and an irritating childish chuckle instead. Inuyasha tried to get up again as he heard them leave. The spell's effect was still strong, but he managed to roll to his back. A small flinch traced his features from the pain. He gave a loud sigh. 'I had it coming.'  
  
'You lied.'  
  
'Feh. The kid WAS acting stupid.'  
  
'That's not the point. You did it for a different reason.'  
  
'Oh really now? Now what fuckin' reason would that be?'  
  
'You're jealous.'  
  
Inuyasha hated having these mental conversations with the voice inside him. It irked him that the voice always smacked certain ideas to his face, but it irked him even more that the voice was always right. No use denying.  
  
Inuyasha let out another heavy sigh. He couldn't believe himself. The all-powerful Inuyasha, son of the great Inu Taiyoukai, is jealous of a pup. And of all the pups out there, it had to be Shippou, the brat who always got him into trouble with Kagome. Just thinking of it made his ego deflate. And when his ego deflates, he starts sulking. And when he sulks, he'd look for something to vent his frustration on. Or someone. And usually that someone was him. But he obviously couldn't do that now.  
  
No, he wouldn't face the runt right now. Well, not that he could. The sitting spell's effect hasn't worn off yet. Better to use his immobility to his advantage and think things over. He didn't want any more sits for wrecking stuff.  
  
Yeah, the sit gives him time to contemplate. It hurts but at least it keeps him from ripping things to shreds. It keeps him from hurting people, too, especially those who cause Kagome to sit him. Like Shippou.  
  
'That little brat!' growled Inuyasha mentally. Never had he imagined the twerp to be the object of his envy. But he IS, and there's not much that he can do about it. It's not like he could switch bodies with Shippou, or something like that. HAH! That would never happen in a million years.  
  
'WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?!' his mind screamed. 'Switch bodies?! NEVER!!! I'd rather die!'  
  
'Oh, Inuyasha. Why can't you accept the fact that you'd give anything just to be in the boy's shoes?'  
  
'Shut the fuck up!' Inuyasha's claws rolled into a tight fist. The damn voice was right again. He'd give anything to live a life like Shippou's.  
  
The brat had it good. Sure, his kin was killed, too, like the hanyou's, but he had a family. Inuyasha's was nothing like one. His father died when he was younger than Shippou is now. His mother was hardly there for him and she always cried when she was still alive. Sesshoumaru hates him for being a half-breed and wants to kill him for the Tetsusaiga.  
  
After being orphaned, Inuyasha was left alone with no one to take care of him. He learned EVERYTHING the HARD way. He always thought that it made him stronger mentally and physically, that it was the best way to grow up and learn. Survival of the fittest, they say, kill or be killed. Never had he entertained such thoughts of envy, not until he met the kit.  
  
The kit never experienced what he had gone through. He hardly ever got a good night's sleep in fear of some youkai attacking him if he got caught off-guard. He never felt safe. But nooo, not Shippou. The little twerp was NEVER in danger, and ironically, it was HIM who kept the twerp from it.  
  
Well, not always. The hanyou would whack him hard on the head when he got on his nerves and that happened often, just like a while ago. And Kagome would always sit him for it.  
  
That was also something that Inuyasha was jealous of Shippou. He always had Kagome beside him. She was the one who always took care of him. She would play with him, teach him, bathe him, protect him, and love him. Things that his mother never did.  
  
Inuyasha was snapped out from his reverie as he felt the pull of gravity on him lessen. The spell had worn off. After brushing off blades grass and dirt from his hair, face, and clothes, he stood up and leapt up onto a tree branch which gave him a clear view inside the old miko's hut through one of the windows.  
  
Inside, he could see Kaede and Kagome heating something over the fireplace, probably the herbs. The brat was there, too, finishing one of those drawings of his.  
  
Inuyasha watched intently as the brat crawled towards Kagome, holding up his drawing. The girl picked him up and placed him on her lap. She took the drawing out of his hands and took a good look at it. He heard her praise his drawing. She then patted him on the head and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before setting him down on the floor.  
  
Jealousy once again was rearing its ugly head towards Inuyasha. He winced slightly as he absentmindedly balled his claws to a fist too tightly, his nails piercing his palm. He never EVER got THAT kind of attention from Kagome. She hugged him a couple of times when he saved her life, but she hugs and kisses him every time he shows off, no matter how stupid. Oh, what he'd give just to be in the twerp's shoes.  
  
'You haven't been exactly nice to the girl, you know.'  
  
'Nice?! Hell, I've risked my life countless times to save her and you don't call that nice?!'  
  
'You idiot. Do you think she'd do that to you when she thinks you still love Kikyou? You make her insecure. That's not the way to treat her.'  
  
Again, the voice was right. How could he have been so stupid?  
  
'But that's not how I really feel. I have a duty to Kikyou. To pay back what I owed her fifty years ago.'  
  
'But I thought you love Kagome.'  
  
'I DO!!! But.'  
  
'That's not helping, Inuyasha. You know that she loves you, too, right?'  
  
'I know. But what can I do? Walk up to her and say, "Kagome, I don't  
love Kikyou, I love YOU. I just have to pay her my debt that is my  
soul! I have to die and go to hell with her!"? It would make no  
fuckin' difference. Either way I'd still hurt her.'  
  
'Just choose between them.'  
  
'I-I can't do that. I owe Kikyou my life.'  
  
'You owe Kagome far more than that.'  
  
'I know, but I just can't.'  
  
'You're hopeless.'  
  
The brat really had it good. Unlike Inuyasha, he was living his life happily, carefree, free of complications, and with Kagome.  
  
Not that he really disliked his life. He learned a lot of valuable lessons and grew stronger from his experiences, but he just couldn't help wondering what it'd be like living a life like Shippou's. Even just for a day, he'd like to be Shippou.  
  
Inuyasha heaved another sigh. No matter how much he wished, he knew that it's just not possible, and it never will be.  
  
~*~  
  
Hiei_hellfireangel: Oooh a bit angsty, ne? Inu seemed a bit OOC to me. Sorry about that. I did do my best to maintain his character! About the Kik/Inu/Kag love triangle, Kik's not going to be much of a problem. Isn't it obvious? But she might be a critical part of this fic  
  
Thanks to Rei_Blazehart and Michellin Quavers for reading my crappy story just to check on the spelling and grammar. This chap is dedicated to you guys! *hugs n' kisses* Check out their work, too! 


	2. We'll Know When It Happens, When It Happ...

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Not even his ears. ;;

"words"- dialogue

_'words'_ – thoughts

~*~

The Switch

By hiei_hellfireangel

Chapter 1

We'll Know When It Happens, When It Happens

Silver hair whipped across Inuyasha's stern face as he swiftly bound from tree to tree, stopping occasionally to sniff the surroundings for any traces of Naraku. The rest of the party were following close behind him, Miroku and Sango riding on Kirara, and trailing behind them was Kagome on her bike with Shippou in the basket. It was early in the morning when they left Kaede's hut and they were still quite groggy, save Inuyasha. 

The latest rumor about the Shikon shards stirred something in the hanyou; probably his restlessness got the best of him. He couldn't be blamed, though. It had been almost one and a half month since they last saw a shard, and they were even unlucky that time since Naraku beat them to it.

The number of the shards was dwindling – fast. Almost a year ago, they had most of the jewel complete but Kikyou took it from them and gave them to Naraku. Kagome, being the new miko of the Shikon no tama, took it the hardest. The fact that the dead priestess was the one who took it didn't help either.

True, Kagome's determination to complete the jewel had increased, but there were certain things in her way. Things like school, friends, and family tied her to the other world. No matter how much she'd explain to Inuyasha, he'd never allow her to leave, or so he thought. There was always the magic 's' word…

"Oi, I think we're on to something." said Inuyasha as he sniffed the air once more to make sure.

Miroku got off Kirara and ran towards the hanyou. "What do you think?"

"He was definitely here. The scent's not too old either."

"What are we going to do now? Can't we make a surprise attack?" asked Sango as she got off Kirara, too.

"No. They probably know that we're here already. And, uh, speaking of surprises…"

The houshi's voice trailed as he and the tai-jya heard Inuyasha call out to Kagome.

"Hurry up, will ya?! We can't just wait for you all day!"

The girl ignored his demand and continued to take her time. Annoyed, the hanyou leapt in front of her and held the basket of the bike in order to stop it from moving. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you deaf? I told you to move it!"

"You're so dead, you jerk."

Inuyasha picked Shippou by the scruff of his neck and glared at him.

"I wasn't talking to you, runt." he said dangerously before putting the kit down. He then turned to Kagome.

"Oi. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kagome clenched her hands tighter on the handles of the bike. She seemed to be in a VERY bad mood.

"SIT! SIT! SIT!"

"Fuuuuuuuucccccccckkkkk!!!"

"I told you, baka."

Miroku sighed. "Oh dear. Kagome-sama's still sore about it, ne?"

"Seems like it. Hmph! Serves him right!" retorted Sango as she turned around to meet up with her friend.

"Tsk. Tsk. Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned…"

~*~

-=Flashback=-

"First Aid kit… check. Clothes… check. Ramen… check…"

Kagome ran over her list of things to bring to the Sengoku Jidai. It had almost been a month since she went back to her time. She really had no choice; her grades were threatening to fall dangerously low and her mother went on a vacation, leaving only her grandfather and Souta alone in the shrine. And gods, who knows what could happen if they were left alone for a period of time?

She missed the Sengoku Jidai. She missed its clear skies, clean waters, fresh air, and bright stars. She missed all the adventure. She missed her friends. She missed _him._

"Inuyasha…" she sighed as she looked outside her window. Her eyes landed on the well house. It had been a month and he didn't even bother to visit. It made her feel lonely.

"Duh, Kagome. You sat him before leaving." she reminded herself out loud.

It didn't really matter, because she was coming back… tonight.

That would be a surprise. She couldn't wait to come back, couldn't wait to see Inuyasha. Oh, how she missed him…

Kagome heaved her abnormally large bag over her back as she proceeded outside of her room. Memories played back in her head like old videos as she walked down the stairs, out into the yard and into the well house. They kept on flooding her brain as she jumped down the Bone Eater's Well.

The young miko landed with a small thud. _'I'm back!'_ she thought. Her excitement was beginning to overwhelm her. She hurriedly dusted her skirt and then began to climb up the well, jumping frantically to reach the lip. Suddenly, she felt a strong hand hold hers and pulled her up. Kagome's heart skipped a beat as she recognized the feel of strong, calloused hands.

"I-Inuyasha?"

"Who else?" he replied gruffly as he gave a great pull which pulled her out completely, including her humongous bag. Kagome blushed furiously as she thought of a reason as to why her beloved hanyou was here. But thoughts are useless, so she opened her mouth to ask.

"What are you doing here?" _'Were you waiting for me?'_

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he heard her speak. He looked around, as if looking for an answer in the trees, before answering her.

"Uh… I was just passing by when I recognized your scent around here. And I know how clumsy you are so I came to help you up."

It was a typical answer, she expected it. Her shoulders sagged a bit in disappointment. _'How stupid of you to think that, Kagome.__ Stupid."_

"So, um, I'll be heading to Kaede's hut. Uh, see you around…" she said as she dragged her bag with her. Suddenly, she felt his hand grasp her arm in an affectionate manner.

Kagome froze. Inuyasha always held her like that whenever he had something important to say, but what could he possibly want to say to her now? Was he going to… NAH! She quickly dismissed the thought before facing him.

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha just looked at her, his eyes reflecting something she couldn't comprehend. Once again, she began to feel heat creep up to her cheeks.

"Kagome… I have something to tell you." he said as he pulled her by the waist, pulling her body close to his. Kagome's chest began to ache because of the violent pounding of her heart.

"O-Ok…" she stuttered as she felt his other hand squeeze her arm.

"You're my friend, and I know that you want me to be honest with you, right?" Kagome nodded nervously. _'He remembered.'_

She smiled mentally when she remembered the nice quality time she had back then with the hanyou. They were talking along the lines of Kikyou when she brought the honesty topic up.

"I-I don't really know how to say this, but… Gods, this is harder than I expected, this honesty thing…" _'He's proposing!!!'_

"It's been a month since I last saw you, and, uh, now that you're here, uh…" _'Hurry up and say it!!!'_

Kagome realized that she hadn't been breathing for the last few seconds until she gasped when she felt the hand on her arm caress her cheek. _'This is it!'_

She closed her eyes. This had to be a dream! Inuyasha was actually proposing to her! No, no, this has got to be a dream! She fluttered her eyes open again, expecting to see the wall of her bedroom. Instead, she met his golden eyes once again. Oh yeah, this IS for real, alright.

"I think…"

_'Somebody pinch me!!!'_              

She was snapped out of her reverie by the sudden increase of pressure being inflicted on her cheek. Was he pinching her? She looked at him and saw him look at her in an inspecting manner. _'What the heck…'_

"I think you've gained weight."

The words rolled off his tongue insensitively in a split second. Not sure she heard it right, Kagome looked at him questioningly. "W-What?"

"I said, I think you've gained weight."

Disbelieved, Kagome shook her head. What the heck did he just say?! Weight?! What wei—Then it dawned on her. All the hugging, the touching, and pinching… it was all to check on her! A vein started to twitch near the corner of her eye.

"You didn't mean that, ne?" she asked as cheerfully as she could. _Too cheerfully, she thought. Her cheeks strained from the exaggerated grin on her face._

"Eh? Course I did." Inuyasha answered as he let go of her. Oops, wrong answer.

"Y-You know I just cared that's why blah blah blah…"

All the other words were drowned. She refused to hear any more. Clenching her fists, she shot up at Inuyasha. Tears were threatening to spill from her dark brown eyes.

"Kagome?"

She couldn't take any of it. Sniffing, she ran from the grove towards the direction of Kaede-baba's hut, leaving a confused hanyou behind.

-=End of Flashback=-

~*~

_'That insensitive no-brain idiot!'_

Kagome sighed as she trudged alongside her bike to her other friends' direction. The fateful event happened two days ago and she was still sore about it. No one could blame her though; it was most definitely tactless of Inuyasha, holding her like that then insulting her. _'How utterly inconsiderate, that jackass!'___

And yet, behind all those things going on in her mind about shoving grass in Inuyasha's mouth, she couldn't help but think the opposite. Granted, the boy blurted out that he thought that she was getting fat, but he did say that he just _cared. And it wasn't his fault that she thought he was going to propose. Okay, partly his fault…_

The young miko felt sick of herself. Why was she always blaming Inuyasha for everything when she knew that it was her fault? Was it so that she could defend herself from getting hurt whenever the dead priestess was around?  Or was it out of her desperation? She didn't know…

Sango noticed her friend's sudden change in mood. She knew what she was contemplating about, being a girl, too, and all. She placed an arm around her and asked.

"Are you ok, Kagome?"

"Hai, I'm fine."

"I don't blame you for what happened, but you should concentrate on more important things. If I were you I'd make up before things get worse. Who knows what might happen next?"

Thank the gods for Sango. What would she do without her? "Ok, ok…"

Kagome turned back and went to the still lying Inuyasha. The spell hadn't worn off yet. She prayed that the hanyou was in a listening mood, which was most dubious. She was just about to speak when he cut her.

"I bet you're here to apologize, eh?" he said gruffly.

"Hai… I'm sorry Inuyasha, that was really dumb of me. Will you forgive me?"

Inuyasha rolled onto his back and faced her. "That was REALLY DUMB of you, you know…"

Kagome just nodded.

"I really don't know what goes on in that strange mind of yours, wench. You're really a weird one."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Where are you getting at?"

"See?! Now you're thinking of other stuff!"

Kagome was not getting any of this. "What are you talking about?!"

"W—,"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little PDA (A/N: Public Display of Affection), but we really have to go. Something's up." said Miroku with a grin.

Kagome held back from sitting Inuyasha a million times more and decided to follow the houshi. _'I was trying hard at apologizing then he starts complaining! ARGH! HE IS GOING TO PAY DEARLY!!!'_

"Oi!!! I can't move yet!"

Inuyasha lay immobile on the ground. The sitting spell hadn't lifted yet. _'Stupid girl!__ How dare she sit me right now!' He cursed his bad luck as he struggled to sit up. But try as he might, the spell just won't let him._

"You know that's not gonna work."

Great, just great. At the moment of his weakness the little runt decided to show up and shove that fact right to his face. Just what did he do to deserve this kind of shit?

"Shut up, runt, or else I'll—,"

"What? Pound me to the ground? Like that's gonna work."

_'Why that little squirt!'_ screamed Inuyasha's mind. No wonder he chose this time to bug him. He'd save himself from curses and bumps on the head.

"Just wait till I get up, pipsqueak, and I will!" he growled.

"Yeah right. And then you'll get sat again. What a joy!" scoffed Shippou. A huge grin spread across his face. Inuyasha growled loud at the kit. _'I'm gonna wipe that stupid grin off your face, you brat!'_

As if on cue, Shippou trotted away from the older boy just as the spell lifted. The hanyou was very tempted to bash the kit's skull on a rock but dismissed the thought quickly as he remembered the purpose of their journey. He stood up, dusted his haori and hakama, and ran to the other's direction.

"So, what's up?" he asked as he caught up. He moved closer to Shippou, then gave the kit a small bop on the head. It wasn't hard, but it was enough to earn him a cry. The kit gave him a raspberry, which caught Kagome's attention. Lucky for Inuyasha, she was too pissed to sit him any more.

Miroku sighed as he turned to look at Inuyasha. "Take a look at this."

The houshi tapped his shakujo into what they thought was air. As the contact was made, there was a loud crackle and bursts of light. Miroku then retrieved his shakujo and showed it to the rest. They looked at it and noticed that it remained undamaged.

"A barrier?"

"You're right, Kagome-sama, but it's peculiar. It's very weak. I think even Shippou can break it."

"So you're saying it's a trap, bouzu?"

"It is, most likely."

"But isn't that a bit too obvious? I mean, if Naraku wants to trick us he should have at least thought it over." said Sango. "He knows us already and I don't think he still underestimates us. That would be stupid."

"True, but who knows what goes on in his demented mind, my dear Sango. And besides, I think we really don't have a choice."

Inuyasha rolled his sleeves and cracked his knuckles. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's kick some Naraku ass!"

Miroku gave a small smile. "Couldn't agree with you more."

Inuyasha hit the barrier with small force. It crackled around his fist, which made him flinch ever so slightly, then vanished. He stepped inside the clearing, sniffed around, then motioned the others to follow. They walked cautiously, keeping their guards up. They couldn't see Naraku, but Inuyasha's nose told otherwise. Suddenly, an all too familiar cackle rang throughout the forest.

"Kukukukuku…"

Without hesitation, Inuyasha swung the Tetsusaiga, transforming it into the huge fang. He growled angrily and bared his teeth. "Naraku, you bastard! Come out here!"

Naraku materialized from thin air onto a branch above them. He was wearing his usual baboon pelt. "As impatient as ever, aren't we, Inuyasha?"

"Impatient my ass! Kaze no Kizu!"

The Cutting Wind lashed towards Naraku and cut him right in the middle. The baboon pelt vanished; in its place was a wooden doll.

"How about a game of hide and seek, Inuyasha?" rang Naraku's voice through the forest.

"Feh! You coward! You think I can't smell you?!" he growled as he ran deeper into the forest.

Miroku frowned. Then it struck him. "Hide and s—Inuyasha wait! It's a trap!"

"What?!" chorused Kagome and Sango. And without a second thought, they rushed to Inuyasha's direction, only to be blocked by a much stronger barrier.

"Inuyasha!!!" cried Kagome as she bounced from the barrier. All angry thoughts escaped from her mind. _'No! Inuyasha!'_

Sango and Miroku continued on bashing the barrier with Kirara breathing fire behind them. Even though it seemed hopeless, Kagome stood up and aimed an arrow to the barrier.

"Watch out!" she cried as she took her aim. They followed and backed away. It was then she noticed that someone else was missing.

"Where's Shippou?!"

~*~

"Naraku, come back here!" yelled Inuyasha. 

He ran as fast as his legs could. He was determined to get the Shikon no Tama back and finish Naraku off once and for all. _'You will pay for everything, you bastard!'_

The hanyou made a great leap and landed in a small grove. There in the center was his nemesis. Inuyasha clutched the hilt of the Tetsusaiga tightly as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Oh my, you've found me." chuckled Naraku evilly.

"Stop this fuckin' crap, Naraku, and let me finish you off!" Inuyasha gave a loud battle cry as he charged towards Naraku. He gave one mighty swing with his Tetsusaiga. 

"Kaze no Kizu!!!"

Lots of Cutting Winds flew towards Naraku. Inuyasha grinned cockily. To his surprise, the Cutting Winds bounced off Naraku. "What the hell?!"

"Bad, bad boy, Inuyasha. I said, you found me. Now I'm 'it'."

As the smoke cleared, a small form was standing in front of Naraku, holding a mirror. It was Kanna, one of Naraku's detachments. Inuyasha figured that it was her mirror that made the Kaze no Kizu bounce back.

"Hmm… now what shall we do to you?" he said sadistically.

"Dream on, you bastard!"

"Oh really now?"

This pissed Inuyasha off greatly. He couldn't take this anymore. He heaved the Tetsusaiga to give another blow but he suddenly couldn't move his body! He growled louder in a threatening manner.

"What the fuck have you done to me?!"

Naraku cackled then stared at him with his blood red eyes, and then he placed his hand on Kanna's shoulder. "Do you remember how her mirror sucked your woman's soul?"

Inuyasha frowned as his mind flashed the incident to him. It was one of the times where Kagome was almost killed. He shivered a bit at the thought, but then shook it off as he focused on his enemy.

"I can do the same to you, but not just that."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Everything on this earth has a soul, Inuyasha."

"Stop talking in damn riddles!" yelled Inuyasha as he struggled to escape.

"My point is, how would you like to exchange souls with, say a rock?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth even more. This guy must be joking. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Imagine, the great Inuyasha, a rock. A useless rock that can be crushed with one step."

_'This isn't happening! I can't possibly end like this!'_

Naraku flashed the evilest smile to the hanyou. "It was nice meeting you, Inuyasha. Oh, and don't worry, you're comrades will be joining you very shortly."

_'No… Kagome!'_

Without another word, Kanna activated her mirror. The mirror glowed an eerie purple. Suddenly, Inuyasha felt as if his insides were being sucked into the nothingness of Kanna's mirror.

_'This can be… Kagome… I'm sorry…'_

"Kukuku…"

"Inuyasha!!!"

Then everything went black.

~*~

Hiei_hellfireangel: Ooohh!!! Cliffhanger!!! Gomen ne but I just had to do it! :D Did you like it? Please give do review! It's just a click away… Okies, I know you're all a bit annoyed. I myself have noticed that the story's pacing is a bit slow. But I felt it necessary to insert certain scenes (e.g. Kagome's flashback and Shippou's teasing) to show how everything was before "the switch", and not just to lengthen the chapter. 

Gomen ne, too, for the delay of this chapter!!! Inspiration is one bad-ass b****, she hardly shows up when you need her. And my exams, vacation abroad, reunions, and spring cleaning (gods, it was horrible!) didn't help at all. :(

P.S. If you have noticed, the Prologue is quite misaligned. And I used to have italics there for the thoughts (I use MS Word), but due to unknown reasons, they all disappeared! Should I be using HTML codes for this? Please help!

Reviews:

I Stalk Sesshomaru on weekends: Hai… poor, poor Inu.

Mary: LOL! I guess you're right. Thanks for the very nice, etc, etc, etc comment! :D

shi_shi777: So do I… It's pretty hard to think of some to put in here though. Now I'm beginning to have second thoughts! Damn! ;.; Anyways, thanks for putting me in your fave list! *bows* I will do my best to continue this story. And no, I DO NEED all the luck I can get…

Kaoru_Gal: Wow! Thanks a lot! *hugs*

Randall_Flagg2: Nooo!!! Not the big gooey eyes!!! @_@;; And like I said before, I will do my best to update regularly.

friend of shippou: Awww… Thanks!

Jabba1: *blushes* Gosh, that's so flattering. ^-^; I guess I owe my underdeveloped psychology skills to one of my friends and to my teacher. Oh, is abby you're real name?

binksbabe2001: Thanks for the compliment! Nuuu… You're all pressuring me to update regularly and put my studies at stake! Oh what shall I do!? Hmmm…

Sammyosa92: You did? Lol! Thanks for adding me and Merry Christmas to you, too! :D

Midoriko-sama: OMG YOU ACTUALLY READ MY FIC!!! *squeals* Gosh this is such an honor!!! ;; Thanks for the very nice compliment! I really appreciate it! My grammar? Hai… I know. I've been having troubles with that lately. Good thing my sis bought this nice grammar book! :D And I think you're quite right about the conscience thing, but I have to continue using it (if I have to) so that the fic will be uniform. Thanks for the idea, though! And about your fic "Never Alone", I'VE READ IT!!! And a lot of your other works. I really really really loved them! *hands M-sama some chocolates* ^-^U

darkqueen6: Thanks! Um, about the romance thing… Iunno, really. Read the Author's Notes above to know why. ;;

This chapter is dedicated to my good friend Michellin Quavers. Thought I didn't have a gift for you, ne? This is for you!!!

Till then!~


	3. Expect the Unexpected

Disclaimer: It is my Never Ending Dream to own the Dearest Inuyasha, but even if My Will is very strong, I cannot Change the World. It would feel like I'm in a Deep Forest if I even dared to. I Am just a simple girl. No More Words can make that simpler. But Every Heart has a dream, right?

"words"  -dialogue

_'words' _– thoughts

NOTE: Some parts might be confusing to some so let's get this straight. Be aware of the way of character description, particularly of Inuyasha and Shippou. Please remember that they will SWITCH, but even if they do, their descriptions are still the same. (E.g. Inuyasha is described as a hanyou, but even though he is in a different body [a youkai body at that], he will still be referred to as a hanyou since that's what his mindset is. Besides, calling Inu a kit is like… LOL!)

~*~

The Switch

By hiei_hellfireangel

Chapter 2

Expect the Unexpected

It seemed as if waking up was the most difficult thing to do for him. Every single part of his body ached horribly to the extent that he felt like cursing everything in existence. His senses were dulled as well. He knew that it was nighttime, but his sight was blurry and he couldn't smell anyone or anything around him, though he could hear distant voices.

_'Am I still alive?'_

A million thoughts raged through his mind. How could he still be alive if Naraku had tried to him into a rock? Oh no… maybe he _has become_ a rock! Or maybe the spell killed him? Has he become a soul, destined to wander forever?

_'No!!! This can't be possible!'_

He opened his mouth to speak. Even though his lips felt like they were sewn tightly together, he was able to yell for help.

Or rather… it came out as a moan.

"Uhhnnn…"

"Kagome-sama! He's finally gained consciousness!"

_'Kagome?'_

Then he suddenly heard bustling around him. Oh, he was alive alright.

"Oh Kami-sama! You're awake! I thought I had lost you! Please, please don't scare me like that!"

Her voice seemed so far away, but it was comforting to hear it again. He gave a slight sigh as he felt her arms envelop him into a warm embrace. Embrace? _'Yes! I have my body!!!' But why did Kagome's body feel so… so big?_

He strained to open his eyes wider. A familiar face of a girl formed in front of him. He held out a hand to caress her face. Wait… Why did his hand look a bit stubby? His vision must have been a bit distorted. Yeah… that must be it.

Kagome pressed his hand closer to her face. Then he felt warm tears wet his fingers. _'I made you cry again…'_

"K-Kagome… D-Don't cry…" To his surprise, his voice came out as some sort of a squeak. He just dismissed it; his throat was dry.

"Silly. You have no idea how relieved I am."

"Ka-,"

"Hush, now." she cut him as she planted a kiss on his forehead. "You should save your energy, Shippou-chan."

His eyelids grew heavier as she sang him a lullaby. It was one of those that he would usually hear during nights when the kit was sleepless. It lulled him to sleep sometimes, too—did she just call him Shippou?

"Stupid bitch," he said, firmer and steadier this time, so much like his old self. "I'm not Shippou."

He saw her eyes grew wide in shock but it quickly disappeared as understanding filled them. "Oh, Shippou. You're really tired, ne? Go to sleep."

He was NOT having this. How dare she mistake him for the brat? There was absolutely NOTHING similar between them! Then it dawned upon him. Kagome's sudden increase in size, stubby fingers, squeaky voice, _and_ the name she just called him… He…

_'I'M JUST TIRED!'_ screamed his mind. _'THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!! SLEEP, INUYASHA, SLEEP!'_

He shut his eyes and waited for sleep to take him. This was all just a nightmare, and it would be gone once he woke up. It's all just a big, stupid nightmare.

"Sango-chan," Kagome called. "How's Inuyasha?"

_'NOOOO!!!'_ He shut his eyes tighter. _'No, no, NO!!!'_

The tai-jya shook her head sadly. "He's still unconscious."

He felt himself rise up. Kagome was carrying him!!! _'DAMN YOU NARAKU!!! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!'_

Kagome crouched beside Inuyasha. She gently ran her fingers through his silver tresses, coaxing him to consciousness. When she stopped, she lightly leaned her head against his shoulder as she cried.

"No… Kagome, I'm Inuyasha." he said hoarsely. Then he felt another pair of arms scoop him up. It was Miroku.

"Now, now, Shippou, it's not the right time to play jokes, okay? Besides, you've just woken up. You must get some rest."

"Bouzu," Miroku frowned at the unexpected mention of his epithet. "I'm not Shippou."

The houshi's frown deepened even more. It was very uncharacteristic of Shippou to call him the nickname only Inuyasha uses on him. Sure, the kit had his share of badmouthing, but that was only towards the hanyou, and they weren't curses of the highest degree. Unless… _'Could it be?'_

"Uh… what did you say?" he asked. Miroku prayed that what he thought was wrong. _'Oh please, not at a time like this!'_

"Are you all fuckin' deaf? I said I'm not Shippou. I'm Inuyasha!" _'Uh-oh…'_

"I-Inuyasha?!" cried Miroku in surprise, but still managing to keep quiet. "W-What are you doing in Shippou's body?!"

Inuyasha stammered a little at the mention of his dreadful situation. "Y-You tell me."

Miroku sat against a tree and settled Inuyasha (A/N: or Shippou, or Inuyasha, or… dang! This is going to get confusing. Just bear with me, ok? ;D) on his lap, resting his head on the crook of his arm. He was silent for a few minutes, registering everything in his tired mind. He rummaged through his thoughts, looking for a reason on how this has happened.

"Tell the others…"

"It's not as easy as it looks, Shi—I mean, Inuyasha."

"What the fuck?" Inuyasha cursed loudly. He was gaining his strength alarmingly fast.

"Let's just wait 'til Inu—I mean, Shippou, wakes up. Then, we'll tell them."

"Miroku," asked Inuyasha, his voice was tinged with fear. "What happened?"

"It's a soul-switching spell. I'll explain it later. Just get some rest."

"On you? Bouzu, don't you dare try anything on me."

Miroku stared at his friend, dumbfounded. After all that he's been through, he still managed to crack a joke… If it was a joke, that is.; it sounded a bit more like a threat. _'You're Inuyasha, that's for sure.'_

"Me?" he asked innocently. "Inuyasha, don't you trust me? Besides, I don't have a thing for guys, let alone for a guy who just switched bodies with a boy."

Inuyasha just keh'd before letting sleep take him.

~*~

Early that morning, they heard a terrified scream. Miroku and Sango woke up in a fright only to find see a shaking Inuyasha grab onto Kagome like a baby. The taijya was about to whack Inuyasha with her Hiraikotsu but Miroku prevented her from doing so, ending up with a bump on his head instead (A/N: Knowing Miroku, who knows what he did to prevent her? XD).

"AAACCCKKK!!! Inuyasha, what are you doing?!" screamed Kagome. It was so unnerving to see Inuyasha act like that. He was clinging to her like she was his favorite blankie.

"Kagome!" sobbed the boy. "What happened to me?! I-I'm Inuyasha!!!"

The miko glared at him. "Inuyasha, get off me! And stop your games! If this is some sick joke of yours, it's not funny!"

"Iyaaa… I'm not HIM! It's me… SHIPPOU!!!"

Kagome was about to react when Miroku cut her off as he held 'Inuyasha', preventing him from harassing Kagome any further. "Ahehe… Kagome-sama, I think you should sit down first."

She gave him a suspicious look but followed him. She folded her arms and looked sternly at the houshi then at the hanyou. "What is it, Miroku-sama?"

"As you can see, Inuyasha is acting oddly," he stated as he scratched his head. "You see, it's because he really isn't Inuyasha…"

The two girls gaped at him. Miroku saw their expressions and hesitated a bit. "…Uh…that's Shippou…in Inuyasha's body…"

Sango raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, houshi-sama?"

"I-It's a soul-switching spell. It sucks the souls of two or more creatures or objects into an instrument then it switches it with one another."

"So you're saying…"

"WHAT?!"

"Kagome-sama, calm down onegai!!!" pleaded Miroku as he and Sango constrained the gobsmacked miko. Kagome was taking it worse than the houshi expected. 

"How could this happen?! I mean… this… and… Inu—and Ship—and, and… THIS JUST CAN'T BE!!!"

"Well it happened, ne?" spoke a small voice from above the trees. The party looked up and saw Shippou sitting in a very Inuyasha-like manner; arms crossed across his chest and sitting in a cross-legged position while pouting.

"I-Is that you, Inu—,"

"TEME! GET OUT OF MY BODY!!!" growled Shippou, pointing at Inuyasha.

"You runt! You think I like being so puny and stupid?! FEH! _YOU GET OUT OF _MY _BODY!!!"_

"And you think I like being in _YOUR_ body?! I don't want to be mistaken for a big JERK!"

"STOP IT!!!" screamed Kagome. The two boys stopped their babbling and faced her cautiously. The miko had a firm look on her face now, and there was no trace of disbelief from a while ago. She heaved a sighed before continuing. It was time to get serious…

"Inuyasha," she began. "What happened in the forest?"

Inuyasha jumped down from the tree he was in and looked straight at the girl with an unhappy face. His ears were flat on his head. "Naraku had me trapped. He had cast a spell around my area to immobilize me. Then Kanna appeared."

"Kanna?"

"Wait…" interrupted Miroku. "Kanna? If my speculations are right, this was her doing."

Inuyasha nodded. "The damn bastard said that he'd trap my soul in a rock. Why I'm in Shippou's body… I don't know."

"Shippou was missing when we tried to get past through the barrier Naraku had set up. Shippou-chan?"

The kit fumbled with his fingers. "I-I thought you were right behind me when I followed Inuyasha. I was a few meters away from him but then he suddenly leapt really far, that's why I didn't catch up to him quickly. A-And when I got there, there was this blinding purple light. All I could do was scream."

"That explains it." said Sango.

"But if Kanna had targeted a rock, how come he switched with Shippou?"

"A soul-switching spell's target can be altered, Kagome-sama." explained Miroku. "If there was something that prevented the spell from hitting its target, then that thing or in this case, person, would be the one who would switch with the original target."

"Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time…" grumbled Shippou.

"Houshi-sama is there any way to reverse it?"

"There are ways. One is to use the Shikon no Tama—,"

"I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG!!!" hollered Inuyasha and Shippou simultaneously. Both looked at each other in surprise then averted the other's look almost immediately.

"As I was saying, there are other ways to reverse the spell. The other is to ask help from a witch, as they know how to control souls. But I doubt that there are any that can be trusted."

The other's faces went glum.

"But we can always seek and destroy the instrument that caused this!" Veins started twitching.

*WHACK*SMACK*BAM*

"Arigato, Sango-chan."

"My pleasure."

Kagome hugged her knees then sighed as she stared up at the clear blue sky. Who would have expected this? Things were getting worse by the moment, not to mention weirder. First, they lose to Naraku AGAIN. Now this?! Were they being punished by those 'up there'? _'Ugh… What did I do to deserve this?'_

She shifted her gaze a little bit to the side. The young miko watched as the two boys squabbled rowdily, complaining about the other making their bodies look stupid.  She focused her attention to the shrunken Inuyasha. She heaved another sigh. It was extremely hard to battle Naraku even with Inuyasha on their side, what more without him? Or rather without him _in _his _real body…_

Never, EVER did she expect this to happen…

~*~

"Yatta! We're finally home." sighed Kagome as she strode in the familiar forest where the Bone Eater's Well and the God Tree was situated.

The party had decided on returning to Musashi country due to the unexpected mishap. There was no use in tracking down Naraku again, much to Inuyasha's surprisingly silent dismay. The hanyou's youkai pride could not accept this fact, but he just went along with just a 'feh' or two. Kagome sensed his ego-deflation and covered him up by saying that they didn't have enough supplies to continue anyway.

As Kaede's hut came into view, Shippou bounded towards the old lady sitting by the doorstep, foolishly forgetting that he was not in his own body. He leapt and landed in front of her.

"Kaede-baba!!!" squealed the boy. Kaede gaped at the person she thought was Inuyasha. It was very out of character of Inuyasha to suddenly greet her with high spirits and calling her 'granny' instead of 'hag'.

"My, my, in a good mood are we, Inuyasha? I suppose there is good news?"

Poor Kaede, not knowing that the boy in front of her was actually Shippou, almost leapt out of her skin as he gave her a tight hug. It was a good thing that the others were nearing.

"GAKI!!! YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK STUPID!!!" yelled an infuriated Inuyasha. The others sweat dropped at the unusual sight of Inuyasha's body grinning happily while tightly hugging the old woman. The old miko looked around to see Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and a warfreak-looking Shippou with fists high up in the air.

"Kagome, I am happy and at the same time relieved to see you all well but I would be exceedingly grateful if you would please explain to me this." stated the old woman as she patted 'Inuyasha's' head.

"Ano… Kaede-sama, it's pretty hard to say." said Kagome. "You see, we have a really big problem—,"

"We switched bodies, OK?!" said Inuyasha indignantly. Poor, poor Kaede, she might just die of a heart attack right now…

Miroku explained everything to Kaede inside the hut. Kaede as usual replied that she'd do everything she could to help. Before resuming her duties as the village miko, she gave a thoughtful look to Inuyasha and Shippou, who were quarreling AGAIN.

"ACK! You brat! Stop making me look like some sort of idiot!"

"Che! I'm not making you look like one. You already _ARE one."_

"Baka! Get over here so I can clobber you!"

Shippou cringed at the thought of getting creamed and receiving bumps on his head. He hated those times. His head always felt absolutely swollen. He totally despised Inuyasha's foul temper. 

_'HMPH! Wait till I have my revenge!'_ Revenge? Shippou looked at his new body. He was bigger and more powerful now… and he has fists. An evil smile crept on his face.

Inuyasha wanted to swallow his words. That was NOT a good move, and he did NOT like the kit's smile one bit. _'Don't tell me he's thinking…'_

"SHIPPOU!!! NO! REMEMBER THIS IS YOUR BO—,"

*BONK*

Whoops… too late.

The hanyou toppled over, swirlies in his eyes. Shippou laughed in triumph. Finally, he had had his revenge. No more bonks on the head for him! From now on, he was going to do all the whacking.

Unfortunately, the situation hadn't sunken really deep into Kagome. As she saw Shippou cackling with foot on Inuyasha's head, she said the magic word on instinct.

"SIT!"

"WAAAAHHH!!!"

*BAM*

Talk about karma.

Kagome gasped as she realized what she had done. She ran over to Shippou to check on him. She mumbled a thousand apologies to the kit as he uttered nonsense, probably from the shock the sudden 'sit' had caused. 

"Ahhh!!! Gomenasai Shippou-chan! I forgot!!! Gomenasai!!!"

On the other side of the room, Inuyasha laughed his heart out. "Now you know how it feels, gaki!"

Kagome hung her head low and groaned. This was going to be harder than she thought…

~*~

Hiei_hellfireangel: Aiya~! Another chapter done! Wow! I guess my constant complaining to 'Inspiration' finally got to her! I hope you liked it! As usual read and review onegai? Teewai!!! ^-^U

On with the reviews, shall we?

binskbabe2001: Arigato from the bottom of my heart! Oho, the wackier parts are yet to come!

xXMidori-ChanXx: Sankyuu too! LOL you know now. I think it'd be funnier and more exciting if Kagome knew about it. Actually I got the idea for this story from some things or events that really happen in my life. I can't disclose the details, they're personal! :D

Lil Shaman Girl: Ahehehe… I'm going to be pretty busy this week, so maybe the next chappy will come out say, in 2 weeks? Really, I have lots of excuses. One, it's our school's annual Intramurals and I'm assigned to cover one of the events for our school paper. Two, I have to stay in school till 7 pm to practice for the Cheering Competition for our Intramurals, too. Three, HOMEWORK! Four, inspiration blues. The list goes on… Gomen ne. ^^

mkh2: Really? Arigato! Update faster? Hmm… Give me a better brain and faster typing hands and I might! XD (I'm sorry I can't be perfect~)

I Stalk Sesshoumaru on Weekends: ^_________^

Gopher2806: Wow a gopher! I love gophers and other rodents for that matter! Don't give all the credit to me for the childhood part. I have Midoriko-sama to thank for that.

Shippo is Me: Thanks, Shippou-chan ^_^. Yeah, I've noticed that, too. Glad to make a difference, ne?

X-with stars: Yes, they will know about the switch. Sleeping? *evil grin* You'll see.

Kaoru _Gal: *starts packing her things* ACK!!! THREATS!!! Nuuu… You're scary @_@;;. Cliffhangers? You should learn to love them! They make the story more interesting! n_nU

Lei_Xang: Extra long chappie? Eep… Ok ok I'll TRY to update… :D

KougasMyMan: *blushes* Awww arigato gozaimasu!

inuyashafan65: Ehh??? Ok… ^^;;

Koinu-Chan: Another threat?! *sweats* LOL kidding! Love and peace, too!

mikiari: Nah. I bet you're good at writing, you're just shy. And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me your comments people! I NEED THEM!!! I won't be able to improve as a writer if you don't criticize even just a bit! :O

Randall_Flagg2: Mwehehehe now you know! Fireballs?! Tsk… you can do better than that. I create fire dragons, btw (I'm Hiei, duh!). J/k! Ahh the HTML thing… nah… I know how now!!! ^_____^;;

This chappie is dedicated to my friend Gie, who gave me 2 Inu VCDs with 3 eps each for Christmas! Those are going to be a lot of help in making this fic! Sankyuu mama!

Okies! See ya again peeps!~


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